Temperature variation affects most biological parameters from the molecular level to community structure and dynamics. Current studies on thermal biology assess how populations vary in response to environmental temperature, which can help determine how populations differentially respond to climate change. To date, temperature fluctuation effects on endothermic poikilotherms such as the common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) are unknown even though bumblebees are the most important natural pollinators in North America. A cold-acclimation experiment with B. impatiens colonies revealed individuals acclimated to 5°C or 10°C at night did not differ in resting metabolic rate, flight metabolic rate, wingbeat frequency, or morphological measurements, compared to the control group. Moreover, an infrared camera showed that all colonies maintained maximum nest temperature consistently above 36.8°C. A latitudinal sampling of flight metabolic rate and morphological measurements of B. impatiens from four locations spanning Ontario (N 45°; W 75°) to North Carolina (N 34°; W 77°) indicated no latitudinal trend in the measured variables. This study shows that bumblebees are well equipped to face a wide range of environmental temperatures, both in the short term and long term, and can use a combination of behavioural and physiological mechanisms to regulate body and nest temperatures. These results are reassuring on the direct effects of climate change on bumblebee ecology, but further studies on the indirect effect of temperature variation on North American bumblebees are required to predict future ecosystem dynamics.

Cyrba algerina is a salticid (Salticidae) spider that lives on the undersides of stones. Two populations were studied, Sintra and Algarve (Portugal), and shown to have similar phenology but different dominant prey. Life cycle in the laboratory was similar for the two populations, but Sintra matured at larger size than Algarve individuals, with these differences potentially having a genetic basis. Sintra individuals used prey-specific prey-capture behaviour against allopatric (Oecobius amboseli) and sympatric (O. machadoi, Trachyzelotes bardiae) spider and insect (bristletails) species. In contrast, Algarve C. algerina only adopted specialised capture behaviour against bristletails. Sintra, but not Algarve, individuals responded to the odour of O. machadoi and T. bardiae, and showed preference for T. bardiae over O. machadoi. Interpopulation variation in the use of specific prey-capture behaviour and in sensitivity to odour cues from prey is directly related to the prey available to individuals from each population, suggesting local adaptation to local prey. Preference for oecobiids seems to be controlled by an experiencetriggered developmental switch. The optics and histology of C. algerina’s principal eye suggest that living in a microhabitat with dim ambient light has favoured sensitivity at the expense of spatial acuity. Short focal length, reduced power of the eye’s diverging lens, and wide, contiguous rhabdomeres, seem to minimise the visual constraints imposed by the low light levels in C. algerina’s microhabitat. While relying solely on vision, C. algerina can detect, identify and capture prey in dim-light conditions under which other salticids perform poorly. C. algerina’s behaviour suggest use of temporal summation to improve its visual performance in dim light.

Hieracium lepidulum is an invasive weed in New Zealand. It colonises a wide range of habitats including pine plantations, scrubland, native Nothofagus forest, and mid-altitude to alpine tussock grassland, where it is competing with indigenous species. Understanding the breeding systems and population genetic structure of H. lepidulum is important for biocontrol, and aids in the understanding of evolutionary colonisation processes. H. lepidulum is a triploid, diplosporous, obligate apomict. This type of reproduction through clonal seed does not involve meiosis or fertilisation, and theoretically populations should contain very low levels of genetic variation, the only source being somatic mutation. Common garden experiments and microsatellite markers were used to determine the population genetic structure of H. lepidulum populations in the Craigieburn Range, Canterbury. Both experiments revealed that populations, sampled from three replicate altitudes within three geographically-separated locations, contained no genetic variation; individuals all possessed the same microsatellite genotype. These results strongly suggest that the Craigieburn Range H. lepidulum individuals reproduce solely by apomixis and populations belong to the same clonal lineage. Populations were also examined for their response to two abiotic environmental ‘stresses’, drought and shade. H. lepidulum populations’ exhibited high drought tolerance, yet appeared to be shade-intolerant. Low levels of reproduction in light-limiting habitats will prevent the invasion of H. lepidulum into closed-canopy forest habitats. H. lepidulum appears to have overcome the reduction in fitness associated with apomictic reproduction by phenotypic plasticity, fixed heterozygosity and polyploidy – all associated with increased vigour, fitness, and the ability to occupy broader ecological niches. This study’s results are hopeful for the development of biocontrol programs involving genotype-specific pathogens but suggest that grazing management may not succeed. The data will be useful for future comparisons of genetic structure during the course of H. lepidulum invasions and will contribute to the management of this invasive weed.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2007. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 179-196). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Σκοπός της εργασίας ήταν να μελετήσει την επίδραση του ενδοειδικού ανταγωνισμού, κατά τη διάρκεια της μεταμόρφωσης, στο ρυθμό αύξησης, στην αναλογία φύλου και στο σχήμα του σώματος του zebrafish. Εφαρμόσθηκαν 4 πειραματικές συνθήκες σε τρεις επαναλήψεις. Οι πειραματικοί πληθυσμοί αποτελούνταν από 200 άτομα μήκους 5,6–6,5 mm FL («αμυνόμενα», ηλικίας 15 ημερών μετά τη γονιμοποίηση, dpf), τα οποία ήταν υποκείμενα στην επιθετική συμπεριφορά κανενός, ενός, τριών ή πέντε ατόμων με μέσο FL 12,6-13,3 mm FL («επιτιθέμενα», ηλικίας 30 dpf). Κάθε πειραματικός πληθυσμός βιντεοσκοπείτο δυο φορές την εβδομάδα (λήψη διάρκειας 15 λεπτών, 2 ώρες μετά το τάισμα). Τριάντα ημέρες μετά την έναρξη των πειραμάτων (50 dpf για τα «αμυνόμενα άτομα») τα «επιτιθέμενα» άτομα απομακρύνθηκαν από τους πειραματικούς πληθυσμούς. Η εκτροφή των «αμυνόμενων» ατόμων συνεχίστηκε μέχρι την ενηλικίωσή τους (150-190 dpf). Η ανάλυση των βιντεοσκοπήσεων έδειξε ότι ο αριθμός των «επιτιθέμενων» ατόμων σε κάθε ενυδρείο επηρέασε σημαντικά τον αριθμό των επιθέσεων που δέχονταν τα «αμυνόμενα» άτομα (p<0,05, Kruskall-Wallis), αλλά μόνο στην οντογενετική περίοδο των 9,5-12,5 mm FL. Η ένταση της επιθετικότητας επηρέασε σημαντικά το ρυθμό αύξησης των «αμυνόμενων» ατόμων, όπως αυτός εκφράστηκε από το FL στην ηλικία των 50 dpf (p<0,05, ANOVA). Ως προς την αναλογία φύλου, τα αποτελέσματα δεν έδειξαν κάποια σημαντική επίδραση (p>0,05, G-test) του εξεταζόμενου παράγοντα. Τέλος, αναφορικά με το σχήμα του σώματος των ενήλικων «αμυνόμενων» ατόμων, τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν σημαντική επίδραση της έντασης της επιθετικότητας (p<0,05, MANOVA). Η γεωμετρική μορφομετρική ανάλυση έδειξε σημαντικές διαφορές στο σχήμα σώματος των θηλυκών μεταξύ των συνθηκών με το ένα «επιτιθέμενο» άτομο και αυτών με τα τρία και πέντε. Στα αρσενικά σημαντικές διαφορές παρατηρήθηκαν ανάμεσα στις συνθήκες με το ένα και τρία «επιτιθέμενα» άτομα. Τα πιο σημαντικά landmarks τα οποία συνέβαλαν στη μεταβολή τους σχήματος ήταν το πρόσθιο άκρο της βάσης του κοιλιακού πτερυγίου για τα θηλυκά, ενώ για τα αρσενικά το πρόσθιο άκρο της βάσης του κοιλιακού πτερυγίου και το κάτω άκρο του βραγχιακού επικαλύμματος. Στην παρούσα εργασία, για πρώτη φορά δείχθηκε η επίδραση της ενδοειδικής επιθετικότητας κατά τη φάση της μεταμόρφωσης, στο σχήμα του σώματος των ενήλικων ψαριών. / The present study examined the effect of intraspecific competition during metamorphosis, in the specific growth rate, in the ratio sex and on the adult body shape zebrafish (Danio rerio). Four experimental conditions were conducted in three replicate. The experimental populations were constituted by 200 individuals which length was 5,6-6,5 mm FL (“defendants”, age of 15 days post fertilization, dpf) and they were subjects in aggressive behavior of no, three or five individuals with mean FL 12,6-13,3 mm FL (“aggressors”, age 30 dpf). Each experimental population videotapped two times a week (time 15 minutes, 2 hours after feeding). Thirty days after the beginning of experiments (50 dpf for the “defendant individuals”) the “aggressor” individuals were removed by the experimental populations. The stockfarming of “defendant” individuals was continued up to adultness (150-190 dpf). The analysis of videos showed that the number of “aggressor” individuals in each aquarium influenced considerably the number of attacks that accepted the “defendant” individuals (p<0,05, Kruskall-Wallis), but only in the ontogenetic period 9,5-12,5 mm FL. The intensity of aggressiveness influenced considerably specific growth rate of “defendant” individuals, as this was expressed by the FL in the age of 50 dpf (p<0,05, ANOVA). As for ratio of sex, the results did not show important effect (p>0,05, G-test) in the examined factor. Finally, as far as the intensity of aggressiveness is concerned, the adult body shape of “defendant” individuals affected significantly (p<0,05, MANOVA). The geometric morphometrics analysis showed the important differences in female body shape between conditions with one “aggressor” individual and these with three and five. Important differences were observed between the conditions with one and three male “aggressor” individuals. Most important landmarks that contributed in males body shape were anterior base of anal fin, while for females were the base of anal fin and the base of gill arch. For first time was shown that intraspecific aggressiveness, at the phase of metamorphosis, affects the adult body shape.

Για περισσότερο από έναν αιώνα, οι εντερόκοκκοι προβληματίζουν τους ερευνητές ως προς την ταξινόμηση, τη λοιμογόνο ικανότητα, την επιδημιολογία και την ανθεκτικότητα τους στα αντιβιοτικά, αλλά και ως προς τη διασπορά τους στο περιβάλλον, αφού αυτή συνδέεται άμεσα με τη Δημόσια Υγεία. Οι εντερόκοκκοι, αποτελούν μέρος της φυσιολογικής εντερικής χλωρίδας ανθρώπων και ζώων και μπορούν να επιβιώσουν στο υδάτινο περιβάλλον για μεγάλο χρονικό διάστημα, κάτω από αντίξοες περιβαλλοντικές συνθήκες. Στον άνθρωπο προκαλούν βακτηριαιμία, ενδοκαρδίτιδα, λοιμώξεις του ουροποιητικού και άλλων συστημάτων. Μέσο διασποράς τους μπορεί να είναι και το περιβάλλον, γεγονός που καθιστά τη μελέτη της οικολογίας τους και την επιδημιολογική τους επιτήρηση ζωτικής σημασίας. Κατά τη χρονική περίοδο 10/2009-7/2010 στο νομό Αχαΐας, από 2115 δείγματα θαλάσσιου, επιφανειακού και πόσιμου ύδατος, 168 δείγματα βρέθηκαν θετικά για παρουσία εντερόκοκκων μετά από καλλιέργεια σε SB agar, δοκιμασία υδρόλυσης εσκουλίνης, αρνητική αντίδραση καταλάσης, ανάπτυξη σε 6,5% NaCl και βιοτυπία με Vitek. Επιπλέον, προσδορίστηκε η αντοχή στα αντιβιοτικά Penicilin, Erythromycin, Vancomycin, Teicoplanin, Chloramphenicol, Ciprofloxacin και Quinupristin/Dalfopristin. Ακολούθησε Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis για την τυποποίηση των στελεχών σε κλώνους. Τέλος, πραγματοποιήθηκε συσχέτιση με αντίστοιχα κλινικά στελέχη ασθενών από το ΠΓΝΠ. Τα 121 από τα 168 δείγματα ανήκουν στο γένος των εντεροκόκκων, σύμφωνα με τον βιοχημικό φαινότυπο (50 E. faecalis, 43 E. faecium, 10 E. villorum, 9 E. gallinarum, 5 E. casseliflavus και 4 E.durans). To 85% των εντεροκόκκων ήταν ευαίσθητα στην Ρenicillin, το 17% στην Erythromycin, το 95% στην Vancomycin, το 100% στην Teicoplanin, το 70% στην Chloramphenicol και το 1% στην Ciprofloxacin. Συνολικά ταυτοποίηθηκαν σε κλώνους 76 από τα 105 στελέχη. Τα E. faecalis σε 2 ομάδες, τα E. faecium σε 5, τα E. gallinarum σε 3, τα E. villorum σε 1, τα E. casseliflavus σε 1 και τα E.durans σε 1. / For more than a century, there is great concern about enterococci, regarding the classification, pathogenicity, epidemiology and resistance to antibiotics, but also the distribution into the environment, since this fact is directly linked to Public Health. Enterococci are part of the normal intestinal flora of humans and animals and can survive in the aquatic environment for long periods under adverse environmental conditions. In humans, enterococci are leading causes of bacteraemia, endocarditis and urinary tract infections.. The environment is involved in their distribution, which makes the study of their ecology and the epidemiological surveillance of vital importance. During the period 10/2009-7/2010, in the geographic area of the prefecture of Achaia, 2115 samples from marine, surface and drinking water were collected and 168 of them were positive for the presence of enterococci according to inoculation in SB agar, bile-aesculin agar, negative catalase reaction, growth in 6,5% NaCl and biotyping with Vitek. Moreover, resistance to Penicillin, Erythromycin, Vancomycin, Teicoplanin, Chloramphenicol, Ciprofloxacin and Quinupristin / Dalfopristin was determined. Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis was applied for clonal identification. Finally, a correlation with corresponding clonal types isolated from patients hospitalised at the University Hospital of Patras was performed. One hundrend and twenty-one out of 168 isolates were identified as enterococci, according to their biotypes (50 E. faecalis, 43 E. faecium, 10 E. villorum, 9 E. gallinarum, 5 E. casseliflavus and 4 E.durans). 85% of enterococci were sensitive to Penicillin, 17% to Erythromycin, 95% to Vancomycin, 100% to Teicoplanin, 70% to Chloramphenicol, and 1% to Ciprofloxacin. Overall 76 of the 105 strains were grouped. E. faecalis strains were classified into two PFGE types, E. faecium into five, E. gallinarum into three, E. villorum into one, E. casseliflavus into one and E.durans into one.

The overarching goal of my dissertation is to explore the potential and limits of a trait-based approach to plant ecology. Together, the different studies presented here address two explicit and implicit foundational assumptions underpinning the trait-based approach: (1) that the correlation patterns and biological significance of traits transfer across scales and (2) that the phenotypic complexity of plants can accurately be synthesized into a few meaningful traits to study their ecology. Moreover, the last chapter focuses on a third key assumption: (3) that traits are strong predictors of plant performance (Shipley et al. In Press). I examine these assumptions by exploring multivariate patterns of phenotypic variation and integration across different ecological scales (e.g., individuals, populations, species) while explicitly considering the phenotypic complexity of trees, both in terms of their multidimensional and integrated nature. Two themes thus permeate this body of work: scales and phenotypic complexity. Much of what we know about the relationships among key traits comes from species-scale studies. Trait variation at smaller scales are often interpreted in the context of these interspecific relationships, but it is not clear that interspecific patterns observed at global scales apply to smaller scales. Moreover, although plants are complex, integrated organisms with intricate relationships among their traits, single traits are often studied and interpreted without considering the rest of the phenotype. Yet, examining individual traits outside of their phenotypic context might provide limited insight or be misleading. To address these shortcomings, this body of work examines multidimensional patterns of trait variation and correlation across ecological scales. It uses (1) a set of six ecophysiological leaf traits from mature trees in a lowland tropical rainforest, and (2) a set of twenty leaf, root, stem, branch and whole-plant ecophysiological traits from deciduous saplings in a temperate forest. The combination of our findings point to three main conclusions: (i) local interspecific and intra-population trait integration structures differ from each other and from the global interspecific patterns reported in the literature, such that global-scale interspecific patterns cannot readily be transferred to more local scales; (ii) considering the complexity of the plant phenotype provides better insights into ecological patterns and processes than what we can learn from considering individual or a handful of traits; and (iii) traits strongly affect individual plant performance, although there is no relationship between a species' trait correlation structure and its environmental niche, which suggests that there are multiple alternative optimal phenotypes in a given environment.

The evolution of synapses from early proto-synaptic protein complexes in unicellular eukaryotes to sophisticated machines comprising thousands of proteins parallels the emergence of finely tuned synaptic plasticity, a molecular correlate for memory and learning. Phenotypic change in organisms is ultimately the result of evolution of their genotype at the molecular level. Selection pressure is a measure of how changes in genome sequence that arise though naturally occurring processes in populations are fixed or eliminated in subsequent generations. Inferring phylogenetic information about proteins such as the variation of selection pressure across coding sequences can provide valuable information not only about the origin of proteins, but also the contribution of specific sites within proteins to their current roles within an organism. Recent evolutionary studies of synaptic proteins have generated attractive hypotheses about the emergence of finely-tuned regulatory mechanisms in the post-synaptic proteome related to learning, however, these analyses are relatively superficial. In this thesis, I establish a scalable molecular phylogenetic modelling framework based on three new inference methodologies to investigate temporal and spatial aspects of selection pressure changes for the whole human proteome using protein orthologs from up to 68 taxa. Temporal modelling of evolutionary selection pressure reveals informative features and patterns for the entire human proteome and identifies groups of proteins that share distinct diversification timelines. Multi-ontology enrichment analysis of these gene cohorts was used to aid biological interpretation, but these approaches are statistically under powered and do not capture a clear picture of the emergence of synaptic plasticity. Subsequent pathway-centric analysis of key synaptic pathways extends the interpretation of temporal data and allows for revision of previous hypotheses about the evolution of complex synaptic function. I proceed to integrate inferred selection pressure timeline information in the context of static protein-protein interaction data. A network analysis of the full human proteome reveals systematic patterns linking the temporal profile of proteins’ evolution and their topological role in the interaction graph. These graphs were used to test a mechanistic hypothesis that proposed a propagating diversification signal between interactors using the temporal modelling data and network analysis tools. Finally, I analyse the data of amino-acid level spatial modelling of selection pressure events in Arc, one of the master regulators of synaptic plasticity, and its interactors for which detailed experimental data is available. I use the Arc interactome as an example to discuss episodic and localised diversifying selection pressure events in tightly coupled complexes of protein and showcase potential for a similar systematic analysis of larger complexes of proteins using a pathway-centric approach. Through my work I revised our understanding of temporal evolutionary patterns that shaped contemporary synaptic function through profiling of emergence and refinement of proteins in multiple pathways of the nervous system. I also uncovered systematic effects linking dependencies between proteins with their active diversification, and hypothesised about their extension to domain level selection pressure events.

abstract: Land management practices such as domestic animal grazing can alter plant communities via changes in soil structure and chemistry, species composition, and plant nutrient content. These changes can affect the abundance and quality of plants consumed by insect herbivores with consequent changes in population dynamics. These population changes can translate to massive crop damage and pest control costs. My dissertation focused on Oedaleus asiaticus, a dominant Asian locust, and had three main objectives. First, I identified morphological, physiological, and behavioral characteristics of the migratory ("brown") and non-migratory ("green") phenotypes. I found that brown morphs had longer wings, larger thoraxes and higher metabolic rates compared to green morphs, suggesting that developmental plasticity allows greater migratory capacity in the brown morph of this locust. Second, I tested the hypothesis of a causal link between livestock overgrazing and an increase in migratory swarms of O. asiaticus. Current paradigms generally assume that increased plant nitrogen (N) should enhance herbivore performance by relieving protein-limitation, increasing herbivorous insect populations. I showed, in contrast to this scenario, that host plant N-enrichment and high protein artificial diets decreased the size and viability of O. asiaticus. Plant N content was lowest and locust abundance highest in heavily livestock-grazed fields where soils were N-depleted, likely due to enhanced erosion and leaching. These results suggest that heavy livestock grazing promotes outbreaks of this locust by reducing plant protein content. Third, I tested for the influence of dietary imbalance, in conjunction with high population density, on migratory plasticity. While high population density has clearly been shown to induce the migratory morph in several locusts, the effect of diet has been unclear. I found that locusts reared at high population density and fed unfertilized plants (i.e. high quality plants for O. asiaticus) had the greatest migratory capacity, and maintained a high percent of brown locusts. These results did not support the hypothesis that poor-quality resources increased expression of migratory phenotypes. This highlights a need to develop new theoretical frameworks for predicting how environmental factors will regulate migratory plasticity in locusts and perhaps other insects. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Biology 2012

As espécies do gênero Paspalum destacam-se pela maior resistência ao frio, produção e qualidade de forragem, quando comparados a outras gramíneas estivais nativas do Rio Grande do Sul. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o desempenho de híbridos interespecíficos de Paspalum, em relação à produção de forragem nos municípios de Eldorado do Sul e Coronel Barros e tolerância ao frio em Eldorado do Sul. “Foram avaliados os híbridos: “140”, “131”, ‘138”, “129”, “78”, “176”, “142”, “208”, “165”, “172”, “197”, “329”, “491”, “89”, “162” originados pelo cruzamento de P. plicatulum (4c-4x) x P. lepton; juntamente os híbridos: “1” e “44”, cruzamento de P. plicatulum (4c-4x) x P. guenoarum ecótipo “Azulão”; e os híbridos “43”, “31”, “90”, cruzamento de P. plicatulum (4c-4x) x P. guenoarum ecótipo “Azulão”; ou P. plicatulum (4c-4x) x P. guenoarum ecótipo “Baio”; ou P. plicatulum (4c-4x) x P. lepton, respectivamente. A cultivar Aruana (Panicum maximum) foi utilizada como testemunha. O delineamento utilizado foi de blocos casualizados com três repetições. As avaliações foram realizadas por meio de cortes, totalizando sete cortes. A variável massa seca de folhas foi a que apresentou maior correlação com a massa seca total. Ao selecionar os híbridos com maior massa seca total também estão sendo selecionadas as plantas de maior altura e diâmetro. Os híbridos apomíticos “129”, “138”, “208”, “329”, híbridos sexuais “78” e “165” e o híbrido “1” (modo de reprodução não determinado) apresentaram ao longo das avaliações altas produções de massa seca total e massa seca de folhas e em alguns cortes se destacaram, sendo superiores aos seus progenitores. Portanto foram selecionados para seguir no programa de melhoramento visando à obtenção de cultivares mais adaptadas às nossas condições de clima sub-tropical. / The genus Paspalum species stand out for the highest resistance to cold, production and forage quality compared to other native summer grasses of Rio Grande do Sul. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of interspecific hybrids of Paspalum in relation to the production of forage in Eldorado do Sul and Coronel Barros cities and cold tolerance in Eldorado do Sul. They were evaluated hybrids "140", "131", "138", "129", "78", " 176 ","142”, "208 "," 165 "," 172 "," 197 "," 329 "," 491 "," 89 "," 162 " originated by crossing P.plicatulum (4c-4X) x P. lepton; and hybrids, "1" and "44", crossing P. plicatulum (4c-4x) x P. guenoarum ecotype "Azulão"; and hybrid "43", "31", "90", crossing P. plicatulum (4c-4x) x P. guenoarum ecotype "Azulão"; or P. plicatulum (4c-4x) x P. guenoarum ecotype "Baio"; or P. plicatulum (4c-4x) x P. lepton, respectively. Cultivar Aruana of Panicum maximum was used as control. The design was a randomized block with three replications. The evaluations were made through cuts, totaling seven cuts. The variable dry mass of leaves showed the highest correlation with total dry matter. When selecting hybrids with higher total dry matter are also being selected plants of greater height and diameter. The apomictic hybrids "129", "138", "208", "329", sexual hybrids "78" and "165" and the hybrid "1" (mode of reproduction not determined) presented during the evaluations high productions of total dry mass and dry mass of leaves, and in some cuts stood out and were higher than their parents. So, they were selected to follow in the breeding program aimed at getting cultivars more adapted to sub-tropical conditions.